Why it works: Rhubarb and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,852 recipes. Both carry 1-penten-3-one, which smells fish, pungent. The science ↓
Rhubarb Jam
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Wash the young rhubarb, cut it into pieces about one inch long, and do not peel.
Weigh the rhubarb and use ¾ pound of granulated sugar for each pound of rhubarb.
Place the rhubarb and sugar in a porcelain kettle.
Cook and store
Bring the mixture slowly to a boil, then boil and stir continually for 45 minutes.
Pour the jam into jars and seal them hermetically, or store in tumblers tied with paper.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Rhubarb + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,852 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Young rhubarb
- Provides the tart flavour and the fruit that breaks down to form the jam's body.
- Granulated sugar
- Sweetens the jam and, as it thickens with the fruit, helps it set and keeps it preserved.
The step that matters
Boil and stir continually for 45 minutes. Sugar and fruit must be cooked long enough for the mixture to reach a set point. Constant stirring prevents the sugar from scorching on the bottom of the kettle, which would give a burnt taste.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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